10-26-2008, 08:07 PM
OK ... Ready for this !
This is MY ultimate comfort food recipe!
[attachment=549]
Perfect for your "fall" carbs cravings!
I give you my very own Shepherd's pie recipe!
Here what you will need - the Ingredients:
1.5 or 2 pounds of medium or lean (regular) ground beef
2 small cans of Nibblet Corn – 3 cans works well also if you really like corn
7- 9 medium potatoes
2 medium size onions or 1 large onion
1 can (~2 cups) of your favorite gravy (BBQ, beef, pepper steak gravy, etc.)
Butter, olive oil, milk or cream, Salt and pepper
1. Peel the potatoes and boil them in large pot in slightly salted water (this gives the potatoes a slight salty taste) for about 10 to 14 minutes or until tender. Use a fork to test them now and then to see if the fork will pierce through them. Once it does, the potatoes are cooked and should be drained and are ready to be mashed. You want mashed potatoes that are light and creamy – this will make it easier to spread on top.
TIP: Cut potatoes into quarters to ensure they cook quicker.
TIP: Once cooked, put potatoes in a large bowl ready for mashing and add your favorite seasoning: salt and pepper, a little bit of warm milk or cream (~ ¼ cup or more) and butter (2- 4 tbsp) (some say more butter less milk – Experiment!) to make them creamy and add any other seasoning you like such as freshly minced garlic etc. Taste them often as you make them until the flavor is right to you. The warm and fuzzy yummy factor!
TIP: I tend to mash my potatoes right before I’m ready to add them to the Shepherd’s pie because when it’s freshly made, it spreads easier. If they sit for any amount of time, they tend to become slightly dry or lumpy.
2. While the potatoes are boiling, finely chop the onions and fry them up in about 1 tbsp of butter and a squirt (1 tbsp) of oil olive. Fry them up until they are lightly golden brown. The olive oil is important because it prevents the butter from burning and becoming dark. Use medium to medium low heat – like Mark 3 or 4 on the element. Never add salt here because salt will extract the liquid out of the onions while they are cooking.
3. Once the onions are sautéed (fancy French word for Fry!), add all of your ground beef into the butter / onion mixture and cook the beef until evenly brown. Cook the beef at medium heat – mark 5 or 6 on the element – and at times mash the ground beef with a fork to break it all up. Cooking may take about 10 to 15 minutes.
Open the can of your favorite gravy (398 ml can) or really about 2 cups of gravy and pour it over the meat/onion mixture – I favor pepper beef gravy or St- Hubert BBQ gravy - reduce the heat and simmer while you do the rest like mash the potatoes. Taste it now and adjust salt and pepper to taste. Shepherd’s Pie is comfort food! You should add the gravy just because! The Yummy factor again!
TIP: My recipe calls for twice the meat of most recipes. It’s what I liked as a kid and it’s what I pile on now that I cook!
TIP: if you use too high of heat, your meat will be stringy, and unevenly cooked.
TIP: Don’t use high grade extra lean grounded beef because the meat once cooked even at low heat will be stringy. I used extra lean sirloin grounded beef once and the result was beef gum! The lack of fat makes the meat chewy. Medium or regular ground beef makes juicier tasting Shepherd’s pie, and you can’t go wrong.
TIP: Once cooked, drained the excess liquid out using the lid into the sink.
4. Take a glass pan that can go into the oven or a metal pan that will allow you to put all of your ingredients in (I prefer glass – I can see the bubbling when cooking) :
Put the meat / onion mixture in the pan first.
Open your cans of corn and pour evenly on the meat. Don’t mix!
TIP: You can use 2 or 3 cans of nibblet corn or 2 can of nibblet corn and 1 can of creamed corn (mix them together 1st to have an even mixture and pour on). Key here in comfort food is creaminess. The yummy comfort factor again!
Spoon in the mash potatoes on top one spoon at the time all over the corn mixture and once done, use a fork to spread and even it all out.
Once all of this is done, you can add cheese like Parmesan or Romano on it or shredded cheese (use any one of your favorites). Sprinkle lightly or pile it one – this is a personal choice. I often use paprika (it adds a gentle smoky taste) and a bit of Parmesan or Romano or whatever I have on hand on top of the potatoes.
5. Once the Shepherd’s pie is done, it can be sealed and stored in the fridge for about 2 or 3 days or in the freezer for future use (up to about 2 months) OR it can be heated up immediately as a meal. Pre-heat oven at 350F and bake for 20 to 30 – if frozen up to 40 – 50 minutes. You will know its ready when the juice of the gravy is bubbling slightly through the potatoes. The potatoes will brown slightly.
This will serve 4 to 5 adults. Serve with fresh hot crusty bread. Kids sometimes like Ketchup on it. I say to them “Pour it on!” – There is no such thing as a bad way to eat comfort food.
Useless Trivia!
Why is this dish called Shepherd’s pie?
This dish was originally made in England (some argue this is a Scottish dish) with grounded lamb or mutton and served with different kinds of vegetables like carrots or any green vegetable, and topped with mashed potatoes. The “pie” is then baked until the mixture is hot and the potato crust browns. Shepherd's pie was originally created as an economical way to use leftovers from the ubiquitous Sunday lamb roast. The North American version of this is sometimes called Cottage pie.
In Quebec, Shepherd’s pie is known as Pâté chinois (literally translated as "Chinese pie") and replaced the lamb with minced beef, and typically uses corn as the main middle vegetable. “Legends” has it that the recipe was introduced by either the Chinese cooks, hired by railway companies in the 19th century, who were making such a dish because it was cheap and they were using what they had at hand to cook with, or because that's what the Chinese worker used to eat, for the same reasons. Railways at that time were not only built in Quebec, but a lot of people from Quebec went to work on the railways in other parts of Canada and, mostly, in the north-east part of United States. They probably brought the recipe back home.
According to "A Taste of Quebec" by Julian Armstrong "the name was traced by Quebec food historian Claude Poirier to a town in the state of Maine called China. In the 19th century, thousands of Quebecers migrated to the north eastern United States to work in the mills. Those who settled in the town of China eventually returned to Quebec with a recipe for shepherd's pie, which they called 'pâté chinois.'"
It’s not pie, it’s not Chinese, it’s not pâté, and has little to do with Shepherds.
I call it ultimate Comfort food.
Bon Appetit!
PS .. Serve with beer!
![[Image: copy_of_beer2.gif]](http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e388/guilsterthehiker/Food%20and%20drinks/copy_of_beer2.gif)
This is MY ultimate comfort food recipe!
[attachment=549]
Perfect for your "fall" carbs cravings!
I give you my very own Shepherd's pie recipe!
Here what you will need - the Ingredients:
1.5 or 2 pounds of medium or lean (regular) ground beef
2 small cans of Nibblet Corn – 3 cans works well also if you really like corn
7- 9 medium potatoes
2 medium size onions or 1 large onion
1 can (~2 cups) of your favorite gravy (BBQ, beef, pepper steak gravy, etc.)
Butter, olive oil, milk or cream, Salt and pepper
1. Peel the potatoes and boil them in large pot in slightly salted water (this gives the potatoes a slight salty taste) for about 10 to 14 minutes or until tender. Use a fork to test them now and then to see if the fork will pierce through them. Once it does, the potatoes are cooked and should be drained and are ready to be mashed. You want mashed potatoes that are light and creamy – this will make it easier to spread on top.
TIP: Cut potatoes into quarters to ensure they cook quicker.
TIP: Once cooked, put potatoes in a large bowl ready for mashing and add your favorite seasoning: salt and pepper, a little bit of warm milk or cream (~ ¼ cup or more) and butter (2- 4 tbsp) (some say more butter less milk – Experiment!) to make them creamy and add any other seasoning you like such as freshly minced garlic etc. Taste them often as you make them until the flavor is right to you. The warm and fuzzy yummy factor!
TIP: I tend to mash my potatoes right before I’m ready to add them to the Shepherd’s pie because when it’s freshly made, it spreads easier. If they sit for any amount of time, they tend to become slightly dry or lumpy.
2. While the potatoes are boiling, finely chop the onions and fry them up in about 1 tbsp of butter and a squirt (1 tbsp) of oil olive. Fry them up until they are lightly golden brown. The olive oil is important because it prevents the butter from burning and becoming dark. Use medium to medium low heat – like Mark 3 or 4 on the element. Never add salt here because salt will extract the liquid out of the onions while they are cooking.
3. Once the onions are sautéed (fancy French word for Fry!), add all of your ground beef into the butter / onion mixture and cook the beef until evenly brown. Cook the beef at medium heat – mark 5 or 6 on the element – and at times mash the ground beef with a fork to break it all up. Cooking may take about 10 to 15 minutes.
Open the can of your favorite gravy (398 ml can) or really about 2 cups of gravy and pour it over the meat/onion mixture – I favor pepper beef gravy or St- Hubert BBQ gravy - reduce the heat and simmer while you do the rest like mash the potatoes. Taste it now and adjust salt and pepper to taste. Shepherd’s Pie is comfort food! You should add the gravy just because! The Yummy factor again!
TIP: My recipe calls for twice the meat of most recipes. It’s what I liked as a kid and it’s what I pile on now that I cook!
TIP: if you use too high of heat, your meat will be stringy, and unevenly cooked.
TIP: Don’t use high grade extra lean grounded beef because the meat once cooked even at low heat will be stringy. I used extra lean sirloin grounded beef once and the result was beef gum! The lack of fat makes the meat chewy. Medium or regular ground beef makes juicier tasting Shepherd’s pie, and you can’t go wrong.
TIP: Once cooked, drained the excess liquid out using the lid into the sink.
4. Take a glass pan that can go into the oven or a metal pan that will allow you to put all of your ingredients in (I prefer glass – I can see the bubbling when cooking) :
Put the meat / onion mixture in the pan first.
Open your cans of corn and pour evenly on the meat. Don’t mix!
TIP: You can use 2 or 3 cans of nibblet corn or 2 can of nibblet corn and 1 can of creamed corn (mix them together 1st to have an even mixture and pour on). Key here in comfort food is creaminess. The yummy comfort factor again!
Spoon in the mash potatoes on top one spoon at the time all over the corn mixture and once done, use a fork to spread and even it all out.
Once all of this is done, you can add cheese like Parmesan or Romano on it or shredded cheese (use any one of your favorites). Sprinkle lightly or pile it one – this is a personal choice. I often use paprika (it adds a gentle smoky taste) and a bit of Parmesan or Romano or whatever I have on hand on top of the potatoes.
5. Once the Shepherd’s pie is done, it can be sealed and stored in the fridge for about 2 or 3 days or in the freezer for future use (up to about 2 months) OR it can be heated up immediately as a meal. Pre-heat oven at 350F and bake for 20 to 30 – if frozen up to 40 – 50 minutes. You will know its ready when the juice of the gravy is bubbling slightly through the potatoes. The potatoes will brown slightly.
This will serve 4 to 5 adults. Serve with fresh hot crusty bread. Kids sometimes like Ketchup on it. I say to them “Pour it on!” – There is no such thing as a bad way to eat comfort food.
Useless Trivia!
Why is this dish called Shepherd’s pie?
This dish was originally made in England (some argue this is a Scottish dish) with grounded lamb or mutton and served with different kinds of vegetables like carrots or any green vegetable, and topped with mashed potatoes. The “pie” is then baked until the mixture is hot and the potato crust browns. Shepherd's pie was originally created as an economical way to use leftovers from the ubiquitous Sunday lamb roast. The North American version of this is sometimes called Cottage pie.
In Quebec, Shepherd’s pie is known as Pâté chinois (literally translated as "Chinese pie") and replaced the lamb with minced beef, and typically uses corn as the main middle vegetable. “Legends” has it that the recipe was introduced by either the Chinese cooks, hired by railway companies in the 19th century, who were making such a dish because it was cheap and they were using what they had at hand to cook with, or because that's what the Chinese worker used to eat, for the same reasons. Railways at that time were not only built in Quebec, but a lot of people from Quebec went to work on the railways in other parts of Canada and, mostly, in the north-east part of United States. They probably brought the recipe back home.
According to "A Taste of Quebec" by Julian Armstrong "the name was traced by Quebec food historian Claude Poirier to a town in the state of Maine called China. In the 19th century, thousands of Quebecers migrated to the north eastern United States to work in the mills. Those who settled in the town of China eventually returned to Quebec with a recipe for shepherd's pie, which they called 'pâté chinois.'"
It’s not pie, it’s not Chinese, it’s not pâté, and has little to do with Shepherds.
I call it ultimate Comfort food.
Bon Appetit!
PS .. Serve with beer!